What is Mudgee Feldspar? (Orthoclase)
A fine grained igneous mixture of quartz, orthoclase feldspar and minor amounts of Kaolinite. Uses include ceramics, refractories, fiberglass, tiles, sanitaryware, glass manufacturing, abrasive cleaning powders and anti-skid aggregates.
Mudgee Feldspar displays consistant chemical properties and low iron characteristics required for these applications.
| TYPICAL ANALYSIS | % | |
|---|---|---|
| Silica Alumina Iron Oxide Titanium Oxide Potassium Oxide Magnesium Oxide Sodium Oxide Calcium Oxide Manganese Oxide LOI Mudgee Feldspar Grades Glass Grade 800 Micron> 100# Grade 150 micron> 200# Grade 75 micron> | SIO2 AL2O3 FE2O3 TI02 K2O MgO Na2O CaO MnO | 74.40 13.30 0.28 0.18 7.60 0.10 1.32 0.25 Trace 1.65 |
Variations in particle size are available depending on the customers’ requirements.
Orthoclase Feldspar Data
Orthoclase feldspar is a potassium aluminum silicate, and is commonly called “potassium feldspar” or simply “K-spar,” given that the chemical symbol for potassium is “K.” Orthoclase is common in igneous rocks such as granite, granodiorite and syenite, as well as in crack-filling igneous vein material (pegmatite). Orthoclase is an alkalai feldspar that is one of several feldspar minerals, including sanidine, orthoclase, microcline and plagioclase.
Colour: Ranges from white to gray to light pink
Luster: Vitreous
Diaphaneity: Translucent, but may appear to be opaque in hand specimen
Hardness: 6
Specific gravity: 2.55
Cleavage/fracture: 2 directions approximately at right angles.
Other distinguishing properties: Feldspar crystals commonly look like a rectangle or an elongated hexagon. The pink crystals in granites and rhyolites are generally orthoclase feldspar grains. Orthoclase feldspar may be mistaken for plagioclase feldspars, but plagioclase typically contains fine parallel striae (look like thin scratches) on one of the cleavage faces, and plagioclase varies in color from white to dark gray.
